


Found Family

by ScribeOnTheSide



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Found Family, M/M, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 11:10:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16701388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribeOnTheSide/pseuds/ScribeOnTheSide
Summary: Effie is trying to make Hana feel comfortable in her first Autumn Festival in Nohr.  Niles steps in to help.





	Found Family

**Author's Note:**

> This is a slight bit of domestic fluff. Trying to get back into the swing of writing after an injury that hampered my typing/writing ability.

“Naga curse you and all your winged brethren for a thousand years!”

Billowing smoke poured from the doorway of the small side kitchen on the west side of the castle, followed quickly by a heavy baking pan. As it struck the garden wall across from the door, the charred remains of an unidentifiable dish exploded, splattering charred and raw chunks of meat across the tomato vines. Niles continued to lean against the wall, flipping one of his small daggers nonchalantly, just outside the collateral damage zone. There was the meal. Now where was the cook?

“Three, two, one… there she is… Greetings, Lady Effie of the Hearthfire. I see your battle with the cookware of the castle continues unabated. One of you needs to surrender before someone gets hurt.” 

He grinned at the imposing woman who filled the doorway, her typical messy bun only retaining the faintest control of her blonde hair. Sweat matted wisps to her face, which was flushed red, whether from overheating, anger, or both, Niles couldn’t tell. Effie looked at him for a moment before exhaling loudly and rubbed her hands on her apron..

“Greetings yourself. I’ll surrender. I’ve tried multiple times over the past couple of days and just can’t cook anything edible. The gods blessed me with strength, not the ability to not burn everything I touch.”

Niles sauntered over to the carcass on the floor, nudging it with the toe of his boot.  
“Chicken I assume? Perchance for the End of Autumn Celebration?”

Effie bent down to collect the broken pieces of pottery and poultry.  
“It *was* chicken. Only I would be too stupid to know how to cook something that simple.”

“Tsk...Enough with the ‘stupid’ comments. You know I promised to cut your tongue out the next time you said something like that and I like to keep my promises. That said, how did you feed yourself in the field?”

Effie waved the question away before returning to her task.  
“I always had others to cook for me. Or I’d grab something that didn’t need cooking.”

Niles fetched the feed bucket for the pigs and helped finish cleaning up the garden. 

“And why are you trying to cook for the celebration’s feast? The castle’s cooks provide more than enough for everyone.” he asked while Effie dumped the bucket into the sty.

She dejectedly dropped onto a hay bale, sadness warring with frustration across her face.

“I… I wanted to make an Autumn Feast meal for Hana. She’s far from Hoshido this year without her family and friends. Last year she missed the whole thing because of the war. And well…. I just…” Her voice trailed off.

A rare non-smirky smile tugged at the corner of Niles’ mouth.  
“You, my soft-hearted warrior, wanted to make Hana feel at home but with you.”

Effie shrugged, eyes glistening as she tried to brush off her emotions.  
“Something like that. I want the first one together to be memorable, I guess.”

Niles pulled his handkerchief from his sleeve and dampened it under the pump.  
“That chicken would have definitely been memorable but here, clean the ash off your face and let’s work this out. What do you consider a homey Autumn Feast?”

Effie wiped the streaks, smearing them around more than cleaning them off. She handed back the soiled handkerchief which Niles discreetly chucked into the pig’s bucket. 

“See, that’s the problem. I don’t really have anything. What little family I had was too poor for anything special for the celebration, unless you count begging leftovers from our neighbors fun and festive. And once i was older, it usually meant an evening of tossing drunk soldiers into the barracks to sober up while grabbing a quick snack from the main dining hall. I always covered those shifts because I didn’t have anyone waiting for me anywhere.”

“Ah, yes. I think you tried to toss me into one of those drunk tanks once or twice. Remember when you tried to convince Peri to quit trying to run Odin over with her horse? She was convinced he was a circus spy trying to assassinate Prince Xander and it wasn’t until Laslow knocked her off the horse that we could get her into the cell to sober up.”

Effie’s face brightened at the memory.  
“Not our finest hour, especially with Odin just ranting on and on about how he’s sooooooo mistreated by the world. Such a drama king. I gave him both our pies just to shut him up and go back to the castle.”

Niles laughed, flopping down on the hay next to her.  
“I remember being incredibly mad at you for that. A feast without pie is like a bird without wings… possible but why?”

Silence fell as they contemplated Feasts past. Both had been without family for so long that it was difficult to even bring any holidays with them to mind. But there had been good ones. Both remembered the first Feast day after they joined the retinues of their respective royals. Both remembered the Feast where Niles forced Effie to first talk to him. Both wistfully remembered the Feast from the year before when a hurried meal and a shared bottle of wine was all they had time for before settling into a quick march to the Hoshido border.

Turning to his friend, Niles rested a hand on her broad shoulder.  
“Eff, you and i know better than most here that the family you find can be closer than any related to you by something as ephemeral as blood. Found family is chosen, not an accident of birth. The love there is something earned instead of demanded, given instead of taken. *You*, for example are more family to me than the people who gave me this face… beautiful as it is. Hana will be happy to be with you, the one she loves and who loves her back. That’s all you really need to make a memory.”

He paused for a moment, deep in thought. Then, slapping her on the back, he stood, turning to face her.  
“Since this holiday is about spending time with those we care about, come to my rooms and celebrate with Subaki and myself. We can all be a little mismatched family together. Plus, Subaki is Hoshidan so maybe he could make some traditional dishes to help Hana feel at home.”

A smile broke across Effie’s face. She jumped up and hugged Niles tightly. Then, punching him lightly in the arm, she pulled away.  
“That’s a great idea! I didn’t know Subaki cooked. Will he be fine with extra guests?”

Niles ruefully rubbed the spot she’d punched with a slight grimace.  
“There is nothing that man doesn’t know how to do and do perfectly. And I do mean anything. But as for extra guests, he’d be thrilled to show off for someone other than me. I’ll get him extra supplies and we’ll be good.” 

“What should I bring?”

“Get Hana to pick some Hoshidan wines. I’d trust her judgement over yours in this matter and we already have a fine selection of Nohrian wines that I liberated from the castle’s wine cellar myself. Other than that… Flowers maybe? Subaki loves flowers.”

Effie started to walk away, her mind already laying out plans when a thought stopped her. She turned and looked at the pale archer quizzically. 

“Are you being real right now? It’s not a trick of some kind? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this … soft?... before.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Niles recoiled in mock horror.  
“You wound me, my lady! I know better than to toy with the mighty war goddess of Nohr. I like my facial configuration the way it currently is.”

Dropping the act, he continued.  
“Besides, you’re my best friend. Spending the holiday with you, your lady, and my oh so handsome flyer is the only thing that could make this Feast time perfect. Now… hustle it while I go perform a few ‘favors’ for my man to get the extra seats at the table.”

Effie smiled, her blue eyes lighting up as her cares fell away.  
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy giving as much as he enjoys getting those favors. Thanks, Niles. You’re the best psycho friend a girl could have.”

“I love you too, barbarian. Now go wash up. You’re still covered in raw chicken. “

Later that day, the four broke open another bottle of wine. Food had been eaten and stories shared. Now a warm sense of belonging settled over the party. Hana and Subaki talked about the latest Hoshidan gossip which, oddly enough, both had heard from Niles. Niles looked across the table and winked at her before turning back to the conversation. Effie smiled from the heart. For the first time that she could remember, she felt at peace during a holiday. These were the people she cared about and who cared about her. Filling everyone’s glasses, she raised it towards her friends… no….more than that...

“To found family, whoever they may be.”

Glasses clinked as they responded in a chorus.

“To Family!”


End file.
